The alleged misappropriation of nearly Rs 7 crore from donation funds at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has snowballed into a major controversy, with police recovering between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 12 lakh from the residence of temple employee Lavkush Mishra on Friday.
The raid to recover the money was conducted by Ayodhya Police at the residence of Lavkush Mishra in Meenapur Thakuran Phagauli village, in the presence of Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai.
Local sources claimed that Mishra had worked as a car mechanic before securing a job in the temple administration, after which his financial condition reportedly improved sharply within a short period.
Ram Temple Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra, who arrived in Ayodhya for the second time in five days, distanced himself from the issue, saying that he was responsible only for overseeing the construction work.
The Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Saturday urged UP CM Yogi Adityanath to order an SIT (Special Investigation Team) probe into the allegations of theft.
The trust has detained two employees who were responsible for counting temple donations, and their interrogation on suspicion is ongoing. Both employees were entrusted with the responsibility of counting the offerings received at the temple and earned a monthly salary of Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000.
One of the two had recently purchased land worth Rs 1.5 crore, while the other had bought a plot worth Rs 40 lakh, raising suspicions about money misappropriation.
Saints and seers of Ayodhya have demanded a thorough probe into the allegation flying thick and fast in connection with the high-stakes controversy.
Pawan Pandey, who was a minister in the SP government, claimed on June 7 that Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore were swindled from the Ram temple.
The cash recovery from Ram Temple employee’s house in Ayodhya deepens the donation misappropriation row, with saints demanding an SIT probe into the alleged swindling of Rs 7 crore from sacred temple funds.
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